Cutting the cable and switching to streaming video doesn't mean you have to miss out on the wealth of free, local, over-the-air HD TV channels in your area. All you need is an antenna—but if you're like me and live in an area where reception is spotty, you need an antenna that can bring in those local channels as clear as day without putting an ugly, boxy antenna on or behind your TV. The Mohu Leaf is the perfect antenna for the job.

The folks at Mohu were kind enough to send me a Leaf and a Leaf Plus to try out, and considering I cut the cable months ago in favor of streaming video from Netflix and my favorite IPTV channels, I was happy to give it a shot. Our own Adam Pash already owns a Leaf, and both of us agree—it works as advertised, if not better. The Mohu is as paper thin as its specs imply: It's about as thick as a laminated sheet of paper, 9 inches x 11.5 inches rectangular, omnidirectional, and can be mounted anywhere. It's widest at the base where the connector cable attaches to the body of the antenna.

The Leaf is white on one side and black on the other (purely cosmetic) so you can choose which color you want facing out in your room. Mohu claims the Leaf can receive channels from up to 30 miles from broadcasting towers (you can check what you're in range of here), which makes it ideal for cable-cutters or anyone looking for free HD programming in urban or suburban areas. It also supports full 1080p HD video if your local broadcasters are sending it. When I set it up I was surprised at the number of channels I was able to get and how clear they came in, even though I live in an urban area. Just putting the Leaf on the wall directly behind my TV yielded a surprising number of local and public channels and great video quality.

The Leaf ships with adhesive hooks you can use to mount and reposition it if necessary, but once you dial in your local channels, you'll want to leave it where it is. The best part of having a paper-thin antenna on the wall though is that once you have it where you want it and you're watching TV, you can completely ignore the fact that it's there and you don't have to deal with an ugly box or other indoor antenna sitting on your entertainment center or next to your window taking up space.

There are plenty of other omnidirectional HD antennae out there, but the Leaf can be mounted anywhere, works remarkably well, and boasts some great reviews at Amazon. It comes in two flavors, the original Leaf and the Leaf Plus, an amplified version that also supports external power, even over USB if you choose. The original Leaf retails for $44.99 direct (currently on sale for $35.99 direct and $39.19 at Amazon) and the Leaf Plus retails for $74.99 direct, both with free shipping. Both models are available now.